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Tim Martin, Wetherspoon’s chairman, has warned over price rises after the autumn Budget, as he said the pub chain’s tax bill will jump by two thirds next year. Mr Martin said he believes “all hospitality businesses” are planning to pass on higher costs through price hikes. He said: “Cost inflation, which had jumped to elevated levels in 2022, slowly abated in the following two years, but has now jumped substantially again following the Budget.
“All hospitality businesses, we believe, plan to increase prices, as a result. “Wetherspoon will, as always, make every attempt to stay as competitive as possible.” Wetherspoon, which runs nearly 800 pubs across the country, said its tax and business costs are expected to increase by about £60 million over the next tax year.
This includes an estimated 67% increase in national insurance contributions. Last week Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented her first Budget, which she said met the Government’s promise not to increase taxes for “working people”. But she introduced £40 billion a year in extra taxes to put more money into schools, hospitals, transport and houses.
This included plans to increase the rate of employer national insurance from April next year, which would raise £25.7 billion by 2029 to 2030. On Tuesday, the chief executive of Primark’s parent company said he felt “the weight of tax rises” in the Budget were falling on the UK high street, as he said the company’s national insurance bill would rise by “tens of millions” of pounds.
Meanwhile, Wetherspoon said its sales grew about 6% in the 14 weeks to November 3, compared with the same period last year. Mr Martin said this marked “record” sales for the first quarter of the group’s financial year. The company will open nine pubs this year, including at London Bridge station and Fulham Broadway underground in London and Manchester Airport, and has sold five pubs in 2024.
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